Everyone needs someone to remind them that life is full of little joys, and that’s exactly what Vali does for Julia.

My boy has had a hugely positive influence in my life. I’d already owned two dogs before I got him last November. I sadly lost one in January and getting Vali helped me to deal with my grief.

A hugely positive influence in my life

During these recent tough months, he’s been my reason to go out each day. I love photography and he’s inspired me to get back out into the world and pursue my passion, since he enjoys coming with me.

Vali is an amazing dog – he is very sweet-natured and a bit of a clown, so he keeps me smiling and laughing each day.

Eleven months ago, Chance and his siblings were found abandoned in a park, but the love and care of Lauren and her colleagues has transformed him into a happy, healthy pup!

Chance was found in a park with his four litter mates at just a day old. They were dumped in a cardboard box and left for dead!

A lovely member of the public brought them in to the vets where I work, and the whole team rallied together to hand-rear the five puppies. This involved lots of feeds, throughout the day and night, whilst also doing our jobs.

He was found in a park with his four litter mates at just a day old

It was touch and go as to whether they would survive or grow into normal dogs as they didn’t have the influence of their mum, who would normally teach them a lot of life lessons.

But Chance is 11 months old now and he’s absolutely huge. He’s coming on so well with his training! He has lots of little quirks, like he has to bring something to show you when he greets you. He LOVES people and dogs, especially children, and he knows quite a few party tricks, including ‘commando’ where he crawls along the floor like an army man.

Jasmine loves her dog Rocky for all his quirks, even if he does insist on taking her for long walks!

Rocky is our fourth rescue dog. He is extremely mild-mannered and is friendly to every person and other dog he meets. He’s also very particular, and likes to go on a walk with each member of our family individually – which in fairness, has been a blessing in disguise during these lockdown months.

We live right beside a park – which he loves – but he has a mind of his own when it comes to which route we take to get there. Some days, he’ll go straight to the park and on others, he’ll lead us on a wild goose chase before we eventually get there.

Likes to go on walks with each of us individually

He loves to lie on the floor and have one of us lie down beside him and stroke him gently. He’s also very smart, and always knows what time of day it is – we think it’s so he can remind us that it’s time for his next walk!

With Rocky around, you’ll never be bored or miserable. He’s really made our house a home.

Mell is so proud of how much Bess has grown in confidence

Bess was a rescue from the Border Collie Trust. She is very quietand a little timid, but she’s still adored by everyone who meets her. When she first arrived, she was afraid of everything, and although she still doesn’t like fireworks or loud noises, she’s come out of her shell a lot. Now she even allows strangers to strokeher, which is a good thing because everyone who meets her can’t seem to stay away!

She’s come out of her shell

Her favorite pastime is playing with plastic flower pots and racing around the garden.She is such a great dog and has helped us all to get through lockdown with her gentlenessand patience.

Tracey loves her dog Chewy for all his adorable – and hilarious – quirks

Chewy came into my life a year ago, back when I really didn’t think I had the room for another pet. At the time, we already had two elderly dogs who have sadly now departed, and if it wasn’t for Chewy, I don’t know how I would have coped.

He is adorable and such a character

I fell in love with Chewy as soon as I saw him. He is adorable and such a character that it didn’t take long before my partner was smitten too. Chewy is very stubborn (apparently this is a common trait amongst bulldogs), and he sulks if you ask him to do something he doesn’t want to do, like go out for a walk when it’s raining. He has a thing about cardboard boxes and loves to tear them to shreds. He is very greedy and will go to any lengths to claim food, even if it’s not something he actually likes!

Chewy is big and solid but still believes he is a lap dog, so loves to curl up on my knee in the evening. He really is a wonderful addition to our family, and I couldn’t have asked for a better lockdown buddy.

Skip went through a lot before he was rescued, but now he’s living his best life with a new prosthetic leg and plenty of love from Carly

Skip is a rescued Spanish Galgo. We’ve had him for just over a year. He was found chained up in a derelict barn, with just bread rolls around him that he’d been eating. He was also missing the lower part of a back leg.

A charity took him on, but he was incredibly nervous and unsure around people. They think his leg had been caught in a snare trap – who knows how long he had been like that.

He walks on the new leg as if it was his own

The only options were to amputate the leg or have a prosthetic made. I’m a vet nurse and I work in canine rehabilitation, so we made the decision to try the prosthetic. It was made bespoke for Skip by an amazing company in America and he hasn’t looked back.

Now, he walks on the new leg all the time, as if it was his own. Though he’s still shy at times, he’s grown so much in confidence, and he helps us raise funds for the charity who rescued him.